One of the unique features of a ship is the round windows or portholes as they are more commonly known. The circular openings are called portholes and the glass covers are called port lights. Porthole is the shortened form of the word ‘port-hole window”. Portholes are not only found on ships, they can also be found in submarines and spacecrafts. ...
Have you ever wondered why is a ship referred to as a “She”? Word has it that dating as far back as 500 BC, the ancient mariners were mostly “married to the sea” because of their love for the ocean. The ships were their livelihood, their home and their love thus as a reference and compliment to the women they ...
If I ask you which is the most important job on board the ship. Many of you might say that it’s the Master as the Master manages the whole ship. Well it’s true but there is another often neglected job on board but it’s oh so important. It’s the ship’s cook! If the ship’s cook does not prepare a nice ...
As they say, prevention is better than cure. Rather than allowing a fire to break out, it is better to prevent them from happening. Fire on board ships can be avoided by being diligent. Below are some important points to note for fire prevention on board ships: Exhaust leakages and steam leakages should be rectified immediately. Ship’s crew ...
In the early days, seafarers did not have the luxury of measuring their ship’s speed using modern GPS (Global Positioning System) driven devices. How they used to measure how fast their ship was sailing was by throwing a piece of wood or other floatable object over the vessel’s bow and then counting the period of time that elapsed before the ...
Some of you might know a well-inked seafarer or two or you might be one yourself. Do you know the meaning behind some classic seaman tattoos? Here’s the meaning behind a few of the classics: Anchor An anchor usually meant that a seaman had sailed across the Atlantic Ocean Dragon Inking a dragon meant that the seaman has sailed ...
Studies suggest that 43% of adults are hit with stress and that nearly three-quarters of all regular doctor visits are because of stress-related symptoms. Stress can be very damaging as it can be a hazard when you are working on board the ship! Seafarers need to have the ability to adapt to challenges at sea in order to keep functioning ...
All seafarers know that port and starboard are nautical terms for left and right side of a vessel respectively, facing forward. Since port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are not dependent on the marine observer’s orientation. Have you ever wondered why the sides are named port and starboard? The term starboard is derived from Old English ...
Seafarers go through the mundane work cycle on board every day for long periods of time and because they are out at sea and confined to the ship there are not many entertainment options for them. The following are a few simple things that keep seafarers happy on board: Internet In this day and age, a life without internet connectivity ...